NO BETTER ACCOMPANIMENT FOR HYUNDAI’S 30TH BIRTHDAY CAKE THAN A TUCSON SUV WITH SOME PRESENTS THROWN-IN. That would be the Tucson ‘30’ Special Edition.

And just a few extra sporty enhancements make it the best of the Tucson clan.

With our mid-size SUV segment more crowded than a Tokyo subway, every brand is looking for a leg-up over the opposition. Hyundai's Tucson ‘30’ Special Edition, at $37,750, certainly boosts the chances for the Korean giant.

And that might be the difference between the number two ranking and number three at the end of the year. As we write, Mazda’s CX-5 continues to dominate the segment but Tucson and Toyota RAV4 are neck-and-neck in the race for the other podium positions.

Who would have thought? Not only is this an SUV segment where Toyota doesn’t dominate but the Japanese powerhouse is in a dogfight with a Korean brand just to finish second… yep Australia truly is the world’s most diverse and difficult automotive market.

OVERVIEW

What we’re looking at here is a special edition model based on the Hyundai Tucson 'Active X' variant.

But ‘based on’ is a loose description. For starters, the Tucson '30' Special Edition picks-up the excellent turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine, Hyundai’s own seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and drives all four wheels.

Then there is the paint - an 'Ash Blue' metallic which is unique to the Hyundai Tucson’30’ Special Edition.

Let’s start with the engine – it’s a ripper. Not only does the turbocharged 1.6-litre deliver more power and torque than the regular 2.0-litre, we especially like the wide torque spread and the punchy exhaust note.

Pressing-on hard on twisty rural roads, Hyundai’s in-house-developed seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is a handy support for the turbo 1.6 with slick changes up and down the range to keep things happily on the boil.

However the same can’t be said in city gridlock or when reversing. That's when the six-speeder can get a bit clunky.

As we have noted a number of times when reviewing earlier generations of the Volkswagen Group DSGs, this is not necessarily a criticism – it’s just a trait of DSGs (the flipside of their on-the-fly performance and contribution to enhanced fuel consumption).

Ride and handling? Well this is a Hyundai so we expect high scores in that department (the return-on-investment for local testing and tuning).

We did not find that the 19-inch wheel/tyre combination caused any noticeable extra firmness over the regular Tucson – in fact, several passengers commented on its smoothness on road (and most noticeable on the multiple speed bumps in our local area).

And when the road gets twisty, the 19s and extra rubber pay dividends with alert turn-in and good mid-corner grip.

Even though the Tucson is an SUV, that dedication to suspension tuning pays-off with a flat (little body roll) stance even when on the limit. You really should sample Hyundai's local suspension-tuning if you haven't driven one for a while.

SAFETY

WARRANTY AND SERVICING

Warranty: Five years/unlimited kilometers

Servicing: Every six months/7,500kms. Capped-price servicing starts at $189.

RIVALS TO CONSIDER

Mazda has the CX-5 ‘Grand Touring’ AWD priced at $43,390 but you will need to carefully cross-reference specifications and features important to you to get a true value comparison. With 138kW/250Nm, engine performance from Mazda’s atmo 2.5-litre engine is lineball with Hyundai’s 1.6-litre turbo and the CX-5 is minutely more fuel-efficient.

While lacking the sporting flavor of the Hyundai Tucson ‘30’ Special Edition and Mazda CX-5 GT, Ford Kuga Trend AWD at $36,890 should definitely be considered. With 178kW/345Nm from Ford’s turbocharged 2.0-litre, the Kuga has plenty of zip (but doesn’t match the fuel economy of Tucson or CX-5).

The German styling has won plenty of hearts and the Kuga is a good steer in both country and urban environments.

Also making no claims to sportiness but a good buy in this league is Honda’s CR-V AWD VTi-L at $42,290. Although outgunned under the bonnet, the CR-V is nicely styled (at last for Honda!) and has plenty of interior space.